Footloose
by glowin-theSHARK
Summary: Wordgirl helps Ms. Davis with the school dance, thinking she'll need another chaperon. But the teacher may have a different task for the hero to accomplish. Just a little oneshot based on a music writing challenge that I did a while back.


Just a little Wordgirl x Tobey short story. This was part of a music writing challenge I did a while back, and I was pretty proud of this one. Hope you enjoy it! :)

(Oh, and just so you know, I'm working on the latest chapter of 'Becky of Blunderland' as we speak, so it should be up fairly soon!)

* * *

"I don't know, Huggy. I honestly doubt any of these brownies are compatible with the new diet you decided to do this morning. In fact, I don't think ANY of these snacks are."

_"Squeak squeak squeeeeak."_

"Well, maybe if you didn't consume _everything _and just eat things in moderation like I keep telling you to..."

_"Squeak squeak-squeak SQUEAK."_

"You're just exaggerating. Trust me, I would definitely know when you began weighing like a pregnant elephant. And it doesn't even matter because I can lift ten of them effortlessly."

_"Squeak squeaker squeaken squeakity."_

"That's the thing with spandex, Huggy. It makes you look bigger than you really are. We just have to learn to live with it. I mean, I can't even BEGIN to describe the times when I've felt like a big, fat-"

"Wordgirl! I'm so very happy you could do this for us! Especially since you're often so busy fighting villains and all!" Ms. Davis was standing right behind the town's hero, a large grin was across her face.

Wordgirl whirled around, surprised and slightly sheepish. She hoped that Ms. Davis had not heard much of her weird conversation with Captain Huggyface. They were both at the refreshment table, and Huggy was eying each of the treats, trying to decipher which one he felt would not make him feel heavier.

"Oh! No problem, Ms. Davis! My sidekick and I are happy to help."

Ms. Davis' smile only grew larger. "I can't tell you how much it means to everyone that you're willing to help chaperon our little school dance! I thought we'd have to cancel the dance altogether when it seemed we didn't have enough supervision. But then, _da dada DAA!_ You come in and save the day! Whoosh! Just like you do everyday!"

Wordgirl gave a small, embarrassed chuckle. "Thanks. But, again, it's nothing. Really. Like I said, we love to help in any way possible."

"I'm very glad to hear that." The young teacher beamed. But then her smile grew slightly serious. "Because I sort-of have a favor to ask of you."

"What do you need?" Wordgirl answered sweetly.

Ms. Davis responded by pointing to the opposite end of the gymnasium. "I just don't know what to do with that boy."

Most of the children where enjoying themselves, dancing rather excitedly at the music blasting through the old speakers. However, he was just standing there near the punch bowl. By his body language, you could easily tell this was the _last _place he wanted to spend the rest of the school day. Arms folded, he stood there, barely moving a muscle, only to make the occasional eye-roll at his juvenile classmates.

"I don't know how to get through to him." Ms. Davis admitted. "I mean, don't get me wrong, he's a brilliant boy. But if I could just get him to loosen up a bit, maybe we'd get somewhere. But I've run out of ideas! And nothing I do helps! Could it be possible for you to maybe convince Tobey to dance? At least a little? That would surely be a sign he's capable of having a little fun. Like normal people."

The Lexiconian had to prevent a sigh from escaping from her lips. Truth be told, she was hoping the favor involved something less strenuous a task. Perhaps having to detonate a bomb located in the Principals office with only her teeth and completely blindfolded. Or maybe fighting off a legion of mindless zombies trying to crash the school dance. Heck, reveling her secret identity seemed to be a less painful action than getting Theodore Tobey McCallister (the third) to swallow his matchless pride and dance!

However, Wordgirl was not about to let Ms. Davis know any of that. Mustering up all of the courage she could possibly gather, she nodded and reassured her teacher that she would attempt it.

"Excellent!" Ms. Davis chirped. "That is why you, missy, are my favorite person in the world! Well, apart from my Grandmom. Or my cat, Mr. Sniffles, but he's a cat. Anyways, I believe if anyone can do it, you can! I certainly haven't been able to. I dunno! I just- ... Sometimes it feels he believes that he's superior to everyone."

_It's so hard being superior to everyone,_ thought Tobey. Did these simple kids seriously think all of this wacky dancing was worth any time spent? He certainly wouldn't be caught dancing around horrendously. It was rather embarrassing. Not to mention, it was a complete waste of time. There were certainly better ways to spend his time than standing in the smelly, crowded gym with deafening beats pulsing through his brain and those ruffians ungracefully dancing to the tiresome music. He could be working on his latest robots, scheming more devious actions, or occasionally (and by 'occasionally,' I mean _frequently_) daydreaming about a certain super-heroine with an extensive vocabulary, penetrating wit, graceful movement, and glossy locks. And not to mention that irresistible look in her eyes that will have him gawking one minute and the next fearing for his life. Being captivated by his daydreaming was the only thing preventing him from leaving the school. That and the Principal barring his only exit.

Tobey was beginning to think his imagination was becoming more and more vivid, because he could swear he was seeing the town's hero standing right in front of him, giving him that skeptical look that he had grown so accustomed to. She even began speaking to him.

"Why.. you dancing? ... you ... whole point of... ?" His imaginary Wordgirl asked him.

"Pardon?" Tobey asked, slightly in a daze. He was too fixated with her beautiful, scowling face to understand what she was asking. He certainly did an excellent job imagining her this time. It seemed so realistic.

"I said; Why aren't you dancing? Don't you see that the whole point of this is to have fun?"

It took a while, but Tobey eventually realized that Wordgirl was actually standing in front of him. This epiphany sent him yelping and nearly careening towards the punch bowl, grasping the edge of the table for balance. "W-W-_Wordgirl! _I-I didn't e-expect to see you here!"

"Well, I was currently free and they needed another chaperon for this dance." She answered, matter-of-factly.

"I see." Tobey responded, regaining his more reserved posture. "That must really be disappointing for you, huh? I certainly pity you. There are MANY places you'd rather be than at a completely mundane school dance, I'm sure."

"It's not so bad."

Tobey seemed a little surprised at her response. He didn't suspect Wordgirl would enjoy something as low as an elementary school dance. She was too smart for this!

Wordgirl tried to be a little sweeter with her tone. "You might find it a bit enjoyable if you give it a chance."

"Are you kidding me?" He retorted. "These silly dances are so juvenile and childish! There are _numerous _ways I could better spend my precious time!"

She didn't say anything. She was studying him.

"I never liked dancing! It's so stupid! Look at them! It looks like they're having a glamorized seizure set to music! I can't tell if they're enjoying the music or they need serious medical help! And half of them aren't even on the BEAT! It's just pathetic! Why would someone want to humiliate themselves in public?"

Again, she didn't interrupt him.

"I absolutely hate dancing! Loathe it! _Despise it! _I totally and utterly-"

"You're lying." Wordgirl finally interjected. This left Tobey to stare at her for moment, and then he started babbling.

"Wha-WHAT? I-I-I have no, repeat NO, idea what you are implying... I am not-"

"You actually like to dance. You just won't. What's stopping you?"

Tobey tried to continue, but he seemed to have lost all of the words. After a short silence, he sighed in defeat and gave Wordgirl curious look. Although he was embarrassed that she hit it right on the nail, a part of him was delighted with the fact she was able to read him so easily. He couldn't recall anyone actually wanting to know any of his secrets. This was perhaps the reason he gradually became willing to share his personal stories.

"Alright. I'll tell you, since you seem to want to know so badly." -She rolled her eyes, but said nothing. - "You see... once... I was dancing to some music I heard over the radio. I wasn't even thinking, I just started going for it. It was so fun and enjoyable! But then I heard some snickers. I turned and saw that all the kindergartners were making fun of me. Seriously! They had the _gall _to mock my dancing abilities when some of them still were wearing diapers and eating paste! It's not like they could do it any better! And yet, they continued to taunt me! It was humiliating! Me! The incredibly mature boy-genius! Openly teased by childish brats! I ended up running home and grabbing some animal crackers and my special sippy-cup with the little robot on it for comfort."

"How long ago did this happen?" Wordgirl eventually asked.

"Last week."

She had to use a lot of restraint to keep from laughing, but a small, amused smile managed to creep onto her face. He, on the other hand, was trying hard not to succumb to the humiliation as he was reliving that event. Finally, Wordgirl cleared her throat and attempted to offer up encouragement.

"Well, I am... uh... _sorry_ that you experienced... that... but, I have to admit, I'm rather shocked and surprised at you."

The self-proclaimed formidable boy genius only gave a surprised look.

"Where's the overly confident Tobey? The Tobey that doesn't seem to be affected by anyone or anything? The same Tobey that takes one look at the law and says, 'I reject your restrictiveness and instead substitute it with a large robotic footprint in the middle of the street, simply because I can'? You certainly don't care about the thoughts of the construction workers or town officials that have to deal with your robotic shenanigans on a regular basis!"

Tobey's mouth was open at this point.

Wordgirl felt the need to backtrack slightly. "Don't think I'm condoning your crimes. I assure you I'm not. But sometimes, we all need to have that attitude once in a while. Especially when it comes to dancing. We all just need to say, 'you know what? I don't care what people think! This is my jam and I'm gonna dance to it!'" Despite herself, the heroine was getting a little more worked up in her speech than she originally planned. But she hoped that this would be enough to convince him. "Besides, you may think you're horrible, but trust me; _I'm _the most atrocious dancer ever. People absolutely cringe."

For a moment, Tobey was stunned. Was Wordgirl actually trying to encourage him? He was silently enjoying the very thought. "I... uh... you're right! You're absolutely right!" His confidence was growing by the minute. "I'm Tobey McCallistar the third! Why do I need to concern myself with anyone's opinions! If I'm gonna do something, I'm gonna do it! I'm not gonna let ANYTHING stop me!"

"Yeah! That's the spirit... I think."

"I completely agree with everything you said, Wordgirl! Well, except for one thing."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"_I'm _the horrible dancer. My dancing is definitely much more horrendous than yours could ever be!"

"You're wrong. I have NO sense of timing whatsoever. Next to me, you'd look like Fred Astaire."

"Well, I could clearly make you look like Ginger Rogers.

"... Prove it!" Wordgirl baited.

Immediately, Tobey's legs started to move. And I use the word 'move' as a relative term. No one, not even _he _was sure what he was doing. But he liked it. He liked it a lot. A large smile started to grow on his face, and soon, his body was just at the mercy of the beat.

Wordgirl stared at him for a moment, in complete and utter shock, but soon began moving to the music as well. "You're right!" She finally called to him. "That is pretty horrific. But get a load of this!" Soon, she did her typical jiggle, and started to make those faces that just came to her when she got into it.

"Yikes!" Tobey responded playfully. "Word of advice; don't do that in front of any of the other villains. They wouldn't be able to recover from laughing so hard! However, I am unfazed. Observe."

And so the dance continued. The two of them continued to try and one-up the other in dancing horrendously. Pretty soon, they were completely enveloped. Smiles were permanently on their faces, and giggles could be heard from the two of them periodically.

From the other end of the gym, a short flash came and went. Ms. Davis stood with her camera, taking a few snapshots of the two horrific dancers having the time of their lives.

She smiled at the absurd adorableness of it all.

"Just as planned."

Huggyface missed the event in its entirety, however. Dark smudges of chocolate and layers of powdered sugar were painted on his face. His stomach was twice its original size and he was lying across the table, induced in a food coma. So much for his diet.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it! And, as always, any comments or critiques is always appreciated.


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